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Topic: Joystick issue 5d mk iii (Read 25020 times)

Thanks.I should have been more clear. I've benefitted from the small home button on the 1-D MKll that of course doesn't have a joystick. The great thing is I can hit that button whenever I want without looking and I know AF will always be where I expect it to be. Often with 5D, I hit the JS and when I put my eye to the viewfinder I have to scramble to reposition AF to where I really want it.There probably are some people who like the back and forth positioning but it tends to mess up my shooting. I also have to contend with the camera falling asleep and must wake it up with a shutter button tap before activating the JS. ( or exposure compensation )

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I went to the source and asked one of Canon USA's top two tech guru's, the great Rudy Winston, about the "AF Home setting." By the way another forum question asked how to get feedback to Canon. Simple, send Canon USA a letter or email. They are interested in what photographers have to say and they pass on the information and requests to HQ in Japan.

Hi Rex,

Wish I was going to the Olympics, but won't be this year! Have to file that under my "hope to do it in the future" list.

Anyhow, the solution to what you're experiencing isn't intuitive -- but it will work, depending upon how much you want to instantly move to other AF points. If you've gone into Custom Controls and configured the Multi-controller (joy-stick) to let you immediately move AF points about, by default, it acts as you describe: use the Multi-controller to move to some outer AF point, stop, and then press the Multi-controller straight in, and it returns you to the center point. But, if you press again, it reverts to the previously-selected AF point. Sounds like that's not what you want.

My 1D Mark IV, with "Multi-controller while metering" (C.Fn III-9-1) active, actually behaves the same way the 5D Mark III does, allowing you to use it to move anywhere off-center, and then toggling between the last memorized point and center as you press it straight-in each time.

Two basic options to get around this -- sort of -- on the 5D Mark III:

1). ONLY use the Center AF point: Set the Multi-Controller for direct AF point selection within Custom Functions; actually use the Multi-controller to navigate to the Center AF point, and tap the shutter button to lock it in. Now, each press of the Multi-controller (straight-in, not at one of its 8 angles) will simply stay at the center point. However, I doubt that's what you're asking about... otherwise, there'd be no need to use the Multi-controller in the first place.

2). MEMORIZE a frequently-used off-center AF point (you can only memorize one at a time, however) by navigating to it -- you can use the Multi-controller, or press the rear AF point select button, and then turn the top/rear dials to move to some off-center point you expect to use frequently. Press AND HOLD IN the rear AF point select button, and while you're holding it in, press the top panel illuminator button (small button wiht light bulb icon, on upper-right of top plate) -- you'll see "AF HP" appear briefly, indicating "Home Position" (you've memorized that AF point.

Now, NAVIGATE BACK TO THE CENTER POINT, using either the Multi-controller or combination of AF point select button and top/rear dials. The memorized point blinks on and off in the finder, letting you know it's there and can be accessed with a push of the right button (more on that in a moment). Pressing the Multi-controller straight in keeps you at the center AF point, no matter how many times you press it.

To instantly return to the memorized point: configure either the AF-On button, AE Lock button, depth-of-field preview button, or Lens AF Stop Button (select EF super-tele lenses only) to act as the instant return button for the memorized AF point. For AF-On or AE Lock buttons, select "Metering/AF" icon, then press the INFO button, and in the new screen that appears, select the "HP" option and press SET. With the Depth-of-field preview button or Lens AF stop buttons, select the HP option (no need to press INFO first), and press SET. Now, when the chosen button is pressed, you jump to the memorized, off-center AF point... either let it go, or (with the latter two), you can set it so that another press on that same button reverts you back to where you started from (Center AF point).

In the meantime, the multi-controller can be used to jump you back to the center point if you've set the DOF or Lens AF Stop buttons to jump you to the memorized point and require another press to return you there. But if you simply press the Multi-controller straight in, you're back to having it toggle you between the last two visited points (center and memorized ones). You can defeat that by pressing the AF point select button, using the Multi-controller to move one point off-center and back again, and then pressing it straight-in.

But aside from this, I don't see any way, on either camera, to use the Multi-controller to freely move off-center, and then press it straight-in to get back to center in one step, without having subsequent presses toggle you back and forth to the outer point you'd previously moved to.

Mine works (and is still attached), but i find it's overly sensitive and it's really difficult to navigate menus unless i'm holding the camera just right, and really focusing on how i'm pressing the controller. Like, the slightest touch sends a left or right command/

If you have the battery grip, turn the switch to off. For some reason, when my battery grip is turned on, the main joystick is super sensitive... if I turn the grip controls off, then it works like a non gripped unit (ie, better).

You're right!! I'm using the Pixel grip, i wonder if this is one of the drawbacks of non-genuine gear Can anyone comment on whether this occurs on the Canon portrait grip? I imagine it's something easily fixed in software, as it seems to be doubling the sensitivity and not relying on the click-down presses.

This is occurring with my Pixel grip connected too. I'm very relieved to read that it's not a sign of my joystick failing.

hammy

I have a hard time navigating the AF point with the multi-controller on the 1Dx. I cant seem to get it to the AF point i want. i end up using the quick dial and the main dial to pick AF point. Does anyone have the same problem?

In the meantime, the multi-controller can be used to jump you back to the center point if you've set the DOF or Lens AF Stop buttons to jump you to the memorized point and require another press to return you there. But if you simply press the Multi-controller straight in, you're back to having it toggle you between the last two visited points (center and memorized ones). You can defeat that by pressing the AF point select button, using the Multi-controller to move one point off-center and back again, and then pressing it straight-in.

But aside from this, I don't see any way, on either camera, to use the Multi-controller to freely move off-center, and then press it straight-in to get back to center in one step, without having subsequent presses toggle you back and forth to the outer point you'd previously moved to.

I actually found a way to have the camera sort of memorise two separate off-centre focus points PLUS having one-touch toggle access to the centre point again (effectively giving quick access to three different points). It involved following the above instructions, and setting the DOF preview button to HP mode, and then changing the multi-controller mode to 'Direct'.

Then what happens is you can press the AF select button to choose an off centre point, specifically a different point from the one that you've memorised with the HP function. Then due to something special about the 'Direct' multi-controller mode, when you press it in it toggles between centre and that specified AF point, and you can also press the DOF preview button to select your HP point.

I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm pretty chuffed about the results...

Even though mine was grey market I signed up as a CPS member and got it repaired under warranty. The annoying thing is that the entire back plate needs to be replaced so it took a while to get the part in. Hoping it's a batch issue and this one won't be going AWOL as well.

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Mine fell off as well. The thing is I am from Finland, but living a year in Chile in south america and my warranty is only effective in Europe. Now I have to wait a month for the replacement and pay 300 dollars for it altogether of which I am needless to say quite damn pissed about after just spending a whole lot of dough for my mark III...

Hey can anybody tell me if this is a sort of "first batch problem" or something? When I finally get it replaced (which is taking ages here in Chile) can I rely on the new part lasting longer? A big part of why I got the mark III in the first place was because I shoot in harsh conditions and needed weather sealing. Needless to say if the button keeps falling off it's not the camera for me.

My joystick came off about 2 weeks ago, sent it in last Wednesday, and should have it back by this Friday (9/6/2013) . Although my camera was in warranty, the tech center claims that it was not defective workmanship or quality. While I can't say I blame them, just like the original poster my knob fell off in transit. It was there, I took some photos, moved a few hundred feet to another location, it was gone. I had my Canon supplied neck strap and camera was slung around my right shoulder. That's what I get for not using my Black Rapid strap, or sans strap as I usually do.

Cost for repair was $233 which includes 2 day shipping from Virginia repair center.

As to the "first batch" issue I can't be sure. I bought my 5dm3 in December of last year from B&H, and can't imagine that would be the first batch.

Same thing just happened to me yesterday on a 2 mo. old camera. I noticed the multi-controller button was 1/2 pulled off during a walking bird shoot--didn't touch it again but when I got back to the truck it was gone. It appears on a google search of the problem that most have been repaired under warranty, but some have not. This appears to have happened often enough without significant trauma to the camera ( certainly none happened to mine ) that it is a quality issue that should be covered.

Hey can anybody tell me if this is a sort of "first batch problem" or something? When I finally get it replaced (which is taking ages here in Chile) can I rely on the new part lasting longer? A big part of why I got the mark III in the first place was because I shoot in harsh conditions and needed weather sealing. Needless to say if the button keeps falling off it's not the camera for me.

Was the 5D-III also launched in March 2012 in Finland? How long is the warranty there, 1yr or 2yrs?

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I have a 5DM3 and recently found my joystick at the bottom of my camera bag. I pressed it back on but it didn't work properly.

So I found a reputable registered repairer and sent it in.

The repairer told me that I shouldn't have pressed it back on myself and the back of the camera has to be pulled off, in order to repair it. The repairer said that with these joystick issues sometimes the whole back of the case has to be replaced.

I have a 5DM3 and recently found my joystick at the bottom of my camera bag. I pressed it back on but it didn't work properly.

So I found a reputable registered repairer and sent it in.

The repairer told me that I shouldn't have pressed it back on myself and the back of the camera has to be pulled off, in order to repair it. The repairer said that with these joystick issues sometimes the whole back of the case has to be replaced.

I was lucky, nothing was broken and needed to be replaced.

So, at the end what did you pay for it?I had this issue as well. Estimated costs were between 200 and 300 euro. I decided to fix it myself. I did and it works - trying to be gentle with it (as I did before when it jumped off). Still, for a semi-pro camera of around 3000 euro (I bought it for that price) a thing like this should not happen. Hopefully Canon learned from it, improve this mechanism for the next semi-pro and pro cameras that use the joystick.